Mind Tricks
by Prince Kael'thalas
Summary: Voldemort attacks privet drive, and tries to kill Harry with an Avada Kedavra. It reflects back, casting Voldemort back into spirit form while giving Harry a bit of his power. What happens when Harry takes the mantle of Dark Lord Voldemort? PostOotP
1. Chapter 1

* * *

**Mind Tricks **

**By**

**Prince Kael'thalas**

* * *

_A/N: In response to a challenge I found on DarklordPotter . net by Amerison._

* * *

**Chapter One - The Prophecy**

* * *

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._

* * *

_**Location: Privet Drive**_

_**Date: Summer vacation after fifth year **_

The power the dark lord knows not… What could it possibly be, Harry wondered to himself. He was lying in his bed ignoring the fact that he was responsible for Sirius's death as he tried to get to sleep. Harry sighed, and wiped the sweat off his brow caused by the warm summer night looming over Privet Drive. Harry resolved to find out this power the dark lord knows not as soon as possible, after all this would enable him to defeat Voldemort and all that… BANG!

Harry jumped with a start. He heard something! It sounded like the door was being broken down. Looking around he grabbed his taped glasses and his Holly wand, staggered towards the door, and opened it as quietly as he could. What was going on?

Vernon Dursley was having a nice year, he had gotten a big promotion and a raise, his son was the boxing champion of the junior league, and his wife was as beautiful as ever. Then the _freak _had to spoil it. He couldn't wait for the freak to go off to his freaky friends' house, so he could take his wonderful family on a cruise he had been eyeing for years. Yes, life was pretty good with the exception of the freaks.

His eyelids flickered open at the sound of the main door being banged open. He rose up and swaggered for the light switch. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

Petunia moaned in her sleep, and she too soon woke up. Her eyes reflected the terror she was feeling, "What's going on Vernon?" They both went to the door, and peaking through it saw nobody was in the hallway. Nobody but the freak that is, "What the hell are you doing boy?" Vernon roared at Harry's startled face. "I swear I will lock you up in the cupboard for making this racket!"

"Uncle Vernon, shh!" Harry hissed, looking around frantically. Vernon frowned and lumbered towards the staircase. Nobody was there. "Who do you think you are waking me up? Don't you know I have to go to work in the morning, boy!" His face was turning red with rage. He raised his chubby fist and swung at Harry's face, only to be stopped by a voice that sent chills up Harry's spine.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

* * *

**Location: Little Hangleton, Graveyard. **

**Date: Fourth year, triwizard tournament.**

Voldemort roared with rage as Harry was transported out of the graveyard by the triwizard cup, a return portkey. He looked around at his mostly loyal followers and scowled in annoyance. "Prepare for an Azkaban raid tomorrow night. Now go."

His voice carried over the wind, and the death eaters were happy to evade his wrath. They all apparrated out with the exception of wormtail.

Voldemort frowned at him, "Well? What do you want?"

"Master…? Would you like me to spy on the ministry?" Wormtail stammered out, his back bowed to the dark lord in submissiveness.

"Yes. Now go." Wormtail too apparrated out, leaving Voldemort alone in the graveyard. He sighed, before taking his yew wand, and lighting the path going to the Riddle house. He made his way straight to the parlour, where he took out some strong muggle whiskey. He needed a big break today.

Luckily for him, the ritual didn't make him the least bit tired, and besides now was not the time to sleep. Now was the time for ACTION! He had thirteen years to make plans, and he knew each and every endeavour he would partake in for the next five years at most.

Voldemort was nothing more than a slimy scaly half snake half human now. In truth it disgusted him, having the blood of Potter, and Wormtail running through his veins. It made him feel filthy, and scandalized.

Shuddering he leaned back into the sofa and took a sip of whiskey straight from the bottle. The house was shrouded with darkness, and he could feel the cold seeping into his bones. A quick flick of his wand, and the fireplace was roaring nicely.

He turned back to his thoughts. He had the blood of potter running through his veins and that disgusted-.

_Wait!_

_Potter's blood._

It was running through his veins. And that meant he had the same protection Potter had from his mother. So logic told him that the wards surrounding Harry could be easily broken. He knew Dumbledore would use some kind of _love-powered _ward to protect the boy. He could simply walk in and kill Potter. Of course he would have to wait to uncover the prophecy first… But now was not the time.

He had to do stuff first: Mobilize the werewolves and vampires, take control of his wayward spies in the ministry and… A crack of apparation stopped Voldemort's thoughts. He looked out the window and saw Severus Snape walking up the rarely trodden path towards the Riddle house.

Yes, he had business with him.

"My lord," Severus bowed and kissed the hem of Voldemort's black robes. He looked stressed and tired. "I apologize for the delay, Dumbledore is still a pain…"

"I have a mission for you, Severus." Voldemort smiled, a bit of a vindictive and conspirative one at that.

"I will do what you wish, my lord."

"I want you to find out where Harry Potter lives in the summer. Go back to Dumbledore."

Severus rose from his knees, and taking one last bow he apparrated out.

Voldemort smirked. Already his plans were solidifying. Now he just needed to find out what the prophecy was before he would actually launch an attack on Potter. Today he didn't really want to kill Potter.

No, he left the cup for a reason. The one thing he did not want under any circumstances was a repeat of what happened thirteen years ago. He shuddered and doubted his abilities to come back if something like that happened again.

* * *

Voldemort growled with displeasure as his death eaters left. They had gotten the prophecy destroyed, and they had paid in blood. He sighed, there was nothing that could be done. He had to move along with his plans now that the ministry discovered him.

_Potter._

_I will destroy you myself._

Voldemort dressed in his best battle robes, and armed himself with his wonderful yew wand that had seen him through the years. The dark lord dressed and apparrated to Privet Drive. Quickly his magically enhanced eyes spotted the Order member under the invisibility cloak.

Moving with cool efficiency, he sneaked behind Hestia Jones' back, jabbed his wand into her neck, and muttered the severing curse. Her head fell off to the grass, as blood spurted out of her now beheaded neck. Voldemort ignored it, instead taking her cloak while walking towards the door like a wraith. He tried the unlocking charm on the door, but it didn't work.

"Damn wards." Voldemort considered simply blasting the door open, no doubt bringing Dumbledore and half the order here.

I will be done by then.

Waving his wand, he hissed, "_Reducto." _ A low powered blasting charm that was good for saving energy at the very least. The door shuddered but didn't bang open. Voldemort cast the spell a few more times before the power of the wards broke and the door shattered open.

He sneaked up the stairs, invisible thanks to the cloak. He heard some shouting and grinned at the distraction the stupid muggle was providing. He drew his wand and calmly took aim.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

* * *

Harry froze as the green light hit Vernon, making him fall to his knees, dead before he hit the floor. He saw a shimmering, and drew his wand as fast as he could. Or tried to. 

_Where is my wand?_ He thought desperately before running into his room with Voldemort hot on his heels.

"_Petrificus Totalus." _Harry froze, unable to move. His body swung to face the monster that made his life miserable.

Grinning, Voldemort swung Harry's wand mockingly over his face. "Looking for this?" He dropped it, and crunched it under his boot revelling in the sound of the twig snapping.

"Well, you have made my life hell Harry. No more of your little tricks now." Grinning evilly, Voldemort pointed his wand to Harry's scar. "Goodbye Potter." Harry could only look at the butt of Voldemort's wand in horror, as he tried to squirm out of the body bind spell to no avail.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _ The jet of green light hit Harry's scar point blank, before shimmering into his forehead. Harry shut his eyes, feeling a foreign force enter his mind much like Snape with his legilimency. Memories flashed by his eyes, but this time it was not his. This time it was Voldemort's memories that flashed by his eyes as Harry absorbed bits of the Dark Lord's immense knowledge.

Voldemort hastily stepped back, his face pale and white. "…_No, not again!" _He muttered before giving an agonized shriek as the green light bounced back, hitting him in the chest.

Harry's scar opened, blood poured out at the pressure of the dark curse. He clutched his head in pain, but tried to concentrate through the pain.

He couldn't think straight anymore. Who was he? Voldemort? Harry? What the hell happened?

Harry turned and froze at Voldemort's dead body. He acted on instinct, no doubt Voldemort's instincts. Grabbing the yew wand, he summoned the dark lord's clothes, putting it on frantically.

He heard distinct pops outside the house. The order was here! He examined Voldemort's naked body hastily, and using the wand he muttered, "_Incendio!" _The body burned with a vengeance, but the green flames spread. Harry's heart thumped. He swung Voldemort's wand, and apparrated into the backyard.

"_Morsmorde!" _He shouted, a cloud shooting out of his wand, taking the shape of the dark mark. He observed that the mark had taken effect before apparrating to headquarters. Wherever that was…

* * *

AN: Review and tell me if you want more ok? Yes that's right, I'm talking to you, the one who was going to go away without reviewing. Tsk tsk tsk.

* * *

_**REVIEW!**_


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

**Mind Tricks **

**By**

**Prince Kael'thalas  
**

* * *

**Chapter Two – Voldemort's Greatest Fear**

* * *

_"Reality is always controlled by the people who are most insane."  
Scott Adams, Dilbert_**  
**

Harry woke up to the sound of the burning fireplace. His eyes roamed around the pale room, which held little furniture save for an armchair in front of the fire, with a huge snake sleeping upon it. Harry gasped in surprise, and frantically looked around for any indication of who or where he was. He got out of the hard bed or tried to. Instead he let the exhaustion catch up to him, and letting out a long breath he fell to his knees.

A few seconds of pain and he tried once more to get off his knees, this time squinting in concentration. Wondering again where he was, he instinctively made his way to the door he knew led to the bathroom. _How do I know that? _He wondered as he opened the gold knob of the door, and walked in.

He felt exhausted.

Incredulously, he examined his reflection in the mirror, shocked by how young he looked. He certainly didn't feel it. Running a hair through his messy hair, he let out a deep breath and washed his face. After that he changed into the jet-black robes placed on the handle bar, properly ironed of course. He expected the best of service from his followers.

Again he looked at the pale reflection in the mirror, and noticed a jagged scar running like a lightning bolt over his left eye. He ran a finger over it, and was immediately assaulted by a pack of memories that hit him like a bludger.

The Dursleys bullying and starving him in the cupboard….

His friends, Hermoine and Ron studying together in the library…

The DA practicing spells against each other in the Room of Requirement….

Dumbledore duelling with Voldemort in the department of Mysteries…

Sirius…

Harry gasped, and vomited in the sink. His thoughts were erratic, jumbling from one thing to another as he started hyperventilating.

He remembered.

He was not Voldemort.

He was Harry Potter.

_I have to get out of here! _

That single thought was etched into his mind. He could not stay here, and frankly he did not know what possessed him to do something this stupid. In fact, how did he do this? His thoughts went back to yesterday, where he remembered Voldemort breaking into his house and casting the killing curse. Then it was just a big blank for some reason.

_I survived the killing curse, again._ Harry slowly blinked his eyes, willing himself not to go in shock or faint. This seemed so… unrealistic, like a really lame fantasy novel. Harry shook his head, concentrating on not thinking _anything_. It was just too much to take in.

Going back into what he supposed was the bedroom, he wondered how exactly he got here. Looking around, he saw the snake, Nagini, was awake and looking at him with deep concentration. Wary of the enormous anaconda, he took a step back, and raised the yew wand. But the snake hadn't moved.

It was just staring.

He was starting to feel creepy, especially since he didn't know if he could actually use Voldemort's wand. It felt strange in his hand, nothing magical. It just felt like a cold piece of wood. He took another step back, and decided to see if the wand worked. If it didn't, he was going to run as fast as possible away from the monster of a snake.

It was nothing compared to the basilisk, but it's hypnotic yellow eyes looked like it could take anything on. And Harry didn't particularly want to test his mettle against the snake.

He raised his wand, and pointed it to the fireplace.

"_Incendio!"_ The wand gave a jerk as the orange spell shot out, and lit the fireplace The fireplace roared with new ferocity. It was powerful, of that there was no doubt. His face formed into a sly grin, as he examined the snake.

Nagini was a snake he had seen in many a vision, a constant companion of Voldemort much like Fawkes with Dumbledore. Harry had no doubt she was as loyal as they came. He recognized it as an African Anaconda, with green markings and patterns on its otherwise black scales. He had done some research on it. Well Hermoine did anyways, but the result was the same.

Harry was cautious.

He took another step back, his spine touching the dark wall opposite to the bed. His wand was held in a proper duelling stance, waiting for the snake to make the first move. Harry searched through his mind of a way to kill the snake. He searched his memory to see if he had done anything like this before.

The images that assaulted him made him clutch his forehead in pain, and drop the only weapon he had. That was when Nagini struck, her body moving faster than the eye could see. In an instant, the snake was poised, ready to strike with it's deadly venom.

Harry moaned, trying to get rid of the mental images of men and women brutally tortured, of children getting beheaded in front of their parents and all the dark things that Voldemort had done. He couldn't properly examine the memories or glean any knowledge from it. They were like photographs, or movies. They came one instant and was gone the next with Harry feeling a faint distaste in his mouth.

His eyes fluttered open, and widened in terror. Nagini had crawled up his body, and her fangs was ready to strike at the weakest spot of the human body. The neck. It would directly take the venom into the nervous system, and from there…

"**_Stop! Please!" _**Harry frantically shouted at the snake, tears of terror, and sweat covering his face. While he was brave, something in him did not want to face the possibility of death. He did _not_ want to die.

Surprisingly the Snake stopped, and curiously looked into Harry's eyes.

It spoke a single statement that made him shiver in fear. "**_You are not my master, thus you must die."_** Then the snake struck, it's fangs sinking into Harry's neck

At first Harry didn't feel a thing, but then he could feel the movements of poison going through his veins. He was going to die.

That thought struck a spark of fear and immense rage in his heart. He would not die! _He was Lord Voldemort, and he couldn't die to a bloody snake! _

Stretching his fingers, he grabbed the wand, and shouted a quick dark curse at the snake. He did it naturally, instinct formed from habit.

"_Piscapio!" _An icy blue wave of power shot out from his wand, decapitating the snake in half.

It was too late.

The venom was already injected in his blood stream.

He was going to die.

* * *

A/N: Chapter shorter than I intended. I was originally planning at least five scenes in here, but due to lots of advice on taking it slow, I wanted to flesh it out.

Chapters _will_ get longer. Do not doubt that.

Thank you for all the reviews you guys gave, it was much appreciated. If you could be so kind as to review this chapter, I will be very happy. I will try to answer all reviews as soon as possible.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

_Challenge by Amerision: _

_Timeframe: PostOOTP  
Genre: Action/Adventure/Suspense_

_**Summary:**_

_When Voldemort comes to bypass the wards, Harry finds out the Power the Dark Lord knows not. It is simply the ability to survive the killing curse. Suffering his own killing curse again, Voldemort is cast off as a spirit like before. But what characteristics are passed to Harry this time around? And what else is there to do now that he's gone?  
Looking back at the corpse, he burns it and puts on the robes...  
Erasing any evidence of a battle, he puts a charm on his face and picks up the Yew wand, putting his own in his pocket..._

_---_

_Taking his place, Harry must live a double life as the boy-who-lived at 15/16, and the greatest Dark Lord in history. Spending his time at Grimmauld place over the summer with the Order, he must escape to participate in the very raids the Order goes to fight..._

_How long can he keep up the charade?_

_And why does Bellatrix keep on looking at him strangely after the Death Eater meetings...?_

_**Rules:**_

_1.) Harry must start genuinely like being Lord Voldemort  
2.) No Redemption, nor any friendship with Snape, Draco Malfoy, etc. Kills Snape as soon as possible.  
3.) Harry must stay acting as Harry Potter, boy-who-lived and be with the Order for a good part of the story.   
4.) Harry starts growing bored of his life as Harry Potter and his friends (he doesn't hate them, just finds them boring. He can hate them later on..) , and starts looking forward to returning to his Dark Lord duties more and more.  
5.) No dumb fluffy friendships  
6.) Do something with Nagini. Switching masters to Harry is a good idea.  
7.) At least a minor struggle to keep the act, juggle time with Order and keep up with the raids. Harry comes back hurt sometimes from raids, people question him (He isn't quite up to LV's skills yet, but he eventually gets there).  
8.) Show Harry's dilemma on how to keep to Lord Voldemort's character, and keep up with the former Dark Lord's skills. He must be studying...hard, or go through a slow knowledge drain from Lord Voldemort.  
9.) If there are any ships: Tonks or Bella or Unusual Character. Must be fitting. No Fleur. No Slash. No H/Hr, H/C, or H/G.   
10.) Must duel Dumbledore at some point, most likely later on._

* * *

**Mind Tricks **

**By**

**Prince Kael'thalas**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_I'm a traitor, but I don't consider myself a traitor._

_ Aldrich Ames_

* * *

_The venom was injected in his bloodstream._

_He was going to die…_

* * *

Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail, walked down the stony hallway that led towards the potions chamber. He was back from his 10-month spying spiel on the minister, and like his master instructed of him, he had come back.

He knew he was going to be tortured.

That was a given in almost any situation, so that is why Wormtail headed towards the potions chamber instead of Lord Voldemort's private rooms.

He walked down the empty hallway of the Riddle House, his footsteps making thumping noises over the grey stone tablets that made up the floor of the hallway. It was rather long, and was also the main hallway of the whole house. It connected to the other rooms, like the torture chambers, torture arenas, torture prisons, and so on… Voldemort was extremely fond of torture.

His thoughts travelled to the fateful night on Halloween as they usually did, with him bowing before the might of Voldemort, kissing his feet, and simpering before him like a loyal servant. Then Voldemort had asked him if he had gleaned any new information.

At first Wormtail hesitated, doubting he should betray his best friends to Voldemort.

The dark lord picked up on it, as he usually did, and a quick burst of Crucio later all his secrets were bare before him. Nobody could resist the allure of Voldemort, and nobody could resist his _horror._

Wormtail had seen things that sickened him, especially in his time as a death eater. But nothing sickened him more than the sight of Voldemort, looking pale and weak, yet stronger and more skilled than the entire ministry force put together.

He had told him everything. James and Lily Potter had cast the Fidelus charm over their house, and made him secret keeper.

Voldemort was always a quick decision maker. He never pondered over anything too long, and preferred action rather than planning. But he did have patience when it was needed of him. At that fateful night of Halloween, Voldemort had no patience.

Wormtail would have betrayed Voldemort, just like he had to Lily and James, so he could see his best friend escape the Dark Lord's wrath. But he hadn't. Because he had no chance, no will power, no backbone.

He gritted his teeth, and ran a hand over his chubby face, flicking away the sweat. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers, trying to shake the images out of his mind. He did not want to remember them anymore. He did not want to be a death eater anymore.

He just wanted to be Peter Pettigrew. The little fat boy who smiled at the popular kids, and wished he was as talented and happy.

_He hated that._

He was sickened with himself, twenty years of being a death eater, and it hadn't got him anywhere. All the rewards that Voldemort promised were pure bullshit. He had half a mind to just leave Voldemort, but whom would he run to?

Dumbledore could give him a chance and make him a spy, just like Voldemort was doing with the ministry.

_I hate being a spy._

He had been a spy long enough, and just the thought of spying made him gag.

At times like these he hated being a wizard.

Wormtail turned a corner, and tensed. The potions chamber was right across his master's private rooms, and if he was caught stealing pain numbing potions from the stores…

He walked faster, wishing his footsteps didn't make so much noise.

* * *

Blood seeped out from Nagini's brutally cut open body, and Harry felt glad to just watch it flow out. It was like a trickle, slowly creeping outwards and making a greenish puddle on the floor. 

He smiled.

This is death.

Finally, two or three seconds later, the venom took hold of his nervous system, shutting down all feeling in his body and providing him with some good 'ole crucio style pain.

The icy pain that started felt like being dunked in a river of freezing water, his skin stinging and the slightest touch, his muscles frozen and his fingers stiff. He gasped, as he felt his breath leaving his lungs, never to return.

He couldn't breathe.

He gasped and gagged as he suffocated, violently thrashing around. He couldn't control his body, and just wished the pain to go away.

As he felt death loom over him, he croaked out four words that offered him some comfort: "_I am Harry Potter!"_

Darkness clouded his eyes, and he fell into a deep sleep, most likely never to wake up. The fire dimmed down, until it was simply reduced to crackles on the twigs now and then.

* * *

He paused, hearing the screams from the door. For a moment he considered opening the door to his master's chambers, but instead continued on. If the dark lord was distracted, who was he to interrupt? Besides, this offered Peter all the more time to steal some potions. 

He paused once more, hearing a slight gurgle of sound, "…_Harry Potter." _

This thought startled him. The name Potter haunted his dreams and mutilated his thoughts. He betrayed the kid's parents, yet he still saved the little rat's life.

A spy is naturally curious. His curiosity got the better of him, or at least that's what he told himself.

He opened the door and took a sharp breath.

He opened the door to see Harry Potter, lying half dead next to a surely dead snake, and fang bites on his noticeably purple neck.

* * *

Harry's eyes fluttered open, letting in the bright light. He squinted, and blinked slowly. The image before him clarified, and he saw Peter looming over him, a lantern in one hand and his wand in another. 

"Oh good, you are awake then." Peter said, as if remarking on something casual like the whether. He sounded much more confident and sure of himself.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get up and dressed, and consider the life debt repaid." Peter threw some robes at Harry, and left the room.

Harry gaped at him in confusion and no small amount of hatred. He looked around, for the first time noticing where he was. The room was large, like some kind of hall or dormitary. Actually, it looked like sleeping quarters, judging by the amount of beds sqaushed together. Instantly he knew where he was, thanks to some mumbo jumbo that happened when Voldemort did his avada kedavra.

He wondered why he was here, and what exactly a life debt intained. Frowning, he started to put on the robes. A thought stuck in his head that he couldn't ignore: Why wasn't Wormtail curious about where his master was? Why hadn't he threatened him or asked him questions...?

Then he noticed the empty bottle of Veriteserum lying on the bedside table.

* * *

_A/N: Crap, can't seem to get out the chapters right. I wasn't very happy with this one, so instead of rambling on something I knew was shoddy quality, I decided to quit while I was ahead._ _I know I can do better than this! _

_I'll try harder next time. Sorry for the lack of quality or length in this chapter._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"_I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite."_

Harry Potter, dressed in black nondescript robes, let out a sigh and prepared to face the meeting with his followers. Only they weren't really his followers…. They were Voldemort's minions. Not his.

"I can't forget that. I am Harry Potter, a true Gryfinddor. Not some stinking Slytherin…" He muttered to himself. He did consider what he was doing quite brave. Risking his life to infiltrate the death eater organization and actually get the chance to lead them… astray of course.

Dumbledore always looked at him with patient twinkling blue eyes, as if he were a mere child that would not understand the horrors of war. But Harry understood. Harry knew, from visions. There were some visions too horrifying, too shameful and just plain embarrassing. He did not share those visions from Voldemort with Dumbledore, but he always had a feeling that Dumbledore knew.

Dumbledore... He knew everything.

------

Harry was woken up by the gnarled and pudgy hands of Peter Petigrew, a sniveling little worm, or so he thought at first. One look at his cunning and shrewd eyes told him he had to be careful, however.

"Wake up! Wake up, Potter." The last word was hissed under his breath, and that hiss was what really got Harry's attention. At first he thought this was some nightmare, but it was only too real for that.

Peter mistook his confusion for an act. "I know who you are and what you are here to do, Potter. You are a fool!"

"Don't touch me!" Harry had snarled.

Peter's voice immediately took on a menacing tone. He raised his hands and cast a petrification spell on him. "Petrificus Totalus."

Peter took in a deep breath, and gave a smile. "Listen to me, Harry. Listen closely because I am only going to say this once. You will never, ever, be able to impersonate Lord Vol-" Peter let out an involuntary shudder and looked meaningfully at his left hand, where the mark used to be. "The dark lord. You will never be able to copy him because you know nothing of him. But that is where I come in. I can help you, I can teach you. The death eaters will never know the difference!"

He cancelled the spell on Harry.

Now free to move, Harry's hand immediately searched for his wand.

"Looking for this?" Peter mockingly held the wand just out of Harry's reach.

"Give it back!" He snapped, and reached out to grab it.

"Listen to me, Potter! You do what I say, and nobody will ever know the difference. I can disguise you and maybe even let you go, if you simply do what I say when we meet the other death eaters." Sneering, Peter threw Harry's wand back at him. "Don't even think about trying to double cross me. You will do whatever I say, and I will let you live."

Harry however had every intention of double crossing him…. Later. For now, he gave a slow nod and examined Peter Pettigrew. His green eyes took in more then they gave out, and Peter found that unnerving. "You want to take Voldemort's place?" He asked with a slow smile.

Tom Riddle, as a boy was naturally manipulative. It seemed some of that had rubbed off on Harry. Peter however was not fooled. A mere child was no match for a spy with skill that made Snape look like an amateur. He had fooled Dumbledore, after all. And the old man was extremely perceptive. Peter recognized the game Harry was trying to play. He said nothing however. "Let the boy think he has something. The more he feels in control, the less control he will have." One of the dark lord's beliefs. Peter had no way of knowing that some of the knowledge and habits of Voldemort had rubbed off on Harry, however. Harry himself didn't know, and a truth serum could not reveal that, no matter how powerful.

"Yes, Harry." Peter himself let out a slow smile. "I want to take his place." Finally he could show the fools, his so called superior death eaters, the true substance he was really made out of.

Harry was not a dull-witted half giant however. He was a young man who had faced many dangers himself, and aided with the shadow of some of the Dark Lord's knowledge, he could see right through Peter like a knife could cut through butter.

But he could not meet Peter's eyes. The eyes of the traitor who betrayed his parents. A spark of rage burned inside him, but he strongly put it out. Now is not the time, he reminded himself. Instead he glanced around the pale dark room, looking anywhere except Peter who remained standing in front of him, just waiting. His arms were folded and he stared at Harry expectantly.

"Okay. What should I do." Harry asked after a sigh that was more for show. Peter swallowed, suddenly having reservations. He pushed these doubts aside and concentrated on Harry.

"You only need to summon the death eaters to start a meeting. You can do this with Voldemort's wand." Peter glanced at a small footstool, upon it stood the yew wand. A dark black stick that gleamed of evil and sickness.

"How?" Harry asked, though he knew the answer. He looked at Peter, a smirk forming his face.

Peter blanched and shuddered a bit but quickly got a hold of himself. Without hesitating, he held out his left hand, and showed the faint death eater mark. It was a skull with a snake sliding it's way out of the mouth.

Harry's throat turned dry, and he gulped. The snake… It was moving.

"What is this?" He asked wide eyed and fearful.

Peter grimaced. "When you defeated Voldemort back when you were a baby, this is what happened. Soon it will fade away, and when that happens you will be allowed to leave."

Harry began to understand. "When will the mark fade?"

Peter shrugged, and with a twitch of his right hand, wandlessly summoned Voldemort's wand to Harry. "Do it." He ordered.

"What, now?" Harry was a bit awed, not at the wandless magic itself but at the fact that Peter could actually do it.

"Yes." Peter ordered hoarsely. "Do it."

Harry picked up the wand from his lap, and stood up. He would enjoy this. A bit of payback for the crimes Peter committed. "Stay still."

He knew what to do. He had seen this in visions that Voldemort had sent him, not on purpose of course. He brought the wand to Peter's mark.

Peter screamed.

Then he stopped, quite suddenly and let out a sigh. His face was pale and haggard. The summoning that Harry did was so alike to Voldemort's way…. He was having doubts about his plan himself. The summoning was done. The death eaters would be in the meeting chamber in minutes, and that was all Peter was going to get to brief Harry on what to do.

"You will walk in, back straight and chin up. Act proud and arrogant like Malfoy and strut around like you own the place." Peter spoke fast. He raised his wand and cast a spell that would shadow out Harry's features. "That will help. Keep your hood up, and cast a crucio at the last person to arrive."

So that was how Voldemort stopped people from being late. Harry admired the sheer genius of it. Torture does have some merit, he inwardly decided. He looked up and paid more attention to what Peter was saying.

"You will order the death eaters in a circle, and you will tell them I am in charge while you are away on business."

"Wait, what do you mean away on business?" Harry demanded, fingering the two wands and calculating his chances of winning a fight against Peter. He is more than he lets on, Harry mused. He doubted his ability to win a fight against Peter, because Peter was not a sniveling little worm like he pretended to be. His self assurance scared Harry into doing nothing, which was after al what Peter wanted.

"For two weeks. You will tell them you are going to…" Peter paused, "Egypt. You are looking for some ancient manuscripts."

Peter shot Harry a hard look that said, If you screw this up, we are both dead. Harry gave as hard as he got however. "Act stern and merciless… Like Voldemort. Don't be a sniveling little Gryfinddor like-"

"Like you?" Harry interrupted, his eyes wide with faked childish innocence. Peter flushed in anger, shot him a glare and walked out. "Follow me," Peter commanded in a hoarse voice.

If Harry didn't know any better he might have thought he hurt Peter's feelings. That touched a note of hysteria in him and he almost broke down laughing while running to catch up to Peter.

They walked the dark and gloomy hallways in silence. "Where are we?" Harry asked.

"Voldemort's castle." Peter replied, and steered him into a thin corrider which led to a slightly ajar door.

Harry looked slyly at Peter, who suddenly became very nervous. A thought had occurred to him, what was stopping Harry from simply ordering the death eaters to kill him? Peter squashed down the fear, "Harry's just a kid." He said to himself, but he had no idea how wrong he was.

Harry himself was actually frustrated at Peter's useless advice. Does he think I am a dolt? He asked himself. I can do this much better on my own.

In all of Harry's dangerous adventures, he always fought alone. He fought Quirrel alone, he fought the basilisk alone, he fought the dementors alone….

This is like any other battle, Harry thought. I will fight this alone.

They walked into a huge hall, that was actually well lighted comapared to the rest of the place. Peter steered him into the middle, and stood behind him, to the right. Harry stood tall, and tried to be as menacing as possible. His face seemed featureless and the shadows he stood in covered his stature quite well.

"Here they come." Peter whispered.

The first death eater popped in, and took his place in the circle of life as his lord had put it. Harry watched him appraisingly, but did not examine too closely for several other pops could be heard. The death eaters were coming.

The meeting was about to begin. It was really too bad Harry hadn't examined the first death eater to come too closely. Or else he might have noticed the bright blue twinkling eyes and gray strands of hair flowing from beneath his hood. His white beard was neatly curled and tucked away underneath his black robes.

Albus Dumbledore let out a proud smile at the independence of his protégé. Everything was going according to plan. One of them anyways. Albus Dumbledore had a lot of plans, one for every situation, for every possibility.

Even for something like this. But Harry did not notice Dumbledore. He was having trouble not trying to be intimidated at the sheer size of the death eaters.

The meeting had begun.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_"A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."_

The death eaters, each wearing plain black robes, and a white mask, with hoods up, formed a circle around their lord. They felt something different in the room, like a wave of terror had been lifted. Some of them even smiled a bit.

Harry Potter waited, and examined the death eaters. They all looked the same, all alike, but he could notice subtle differences, such as posture, and size. As he examined them one by one, names came unbidden into his mind. Crabbe, Malfoy, Rookwood, Flinch, Goyle… Harry marveled at the number of the death eaters that showed up. He had assumed there were only twenty or so death eaters. He was wrong.

The chamber was huge, bigger than the great hall of Hogwarts, bigger than the Chamber of Secrets even. And in a circle, close to the white walls, the death eaters lined up. They did not bow, and but they showed their respect through the lowering of their heads and even Harry could see the awe in their eyes. The death eaters had a sense of speed, and the whole process took less than a minute.

They had assembled. Now it was Harry's turn to shine. He briefly remembered Peter's advice about torturing the last person. Harry was happy to do so. One less death eater. But he knew he could not do the crucio spell properly, his attempt in the Department of mysteries was pathetic. That would give him away for sure.

Peter stood to his side, looking proud and confident. Harry felt a brief surge of annoyance at him, and then the beginnings of a plan emerged in his mind. It was cunning, and no doubt influenced subtly by Voldemort's shadow of knowledge.

Harry mustered all the rage and anger he had ever felt. He started getting very angry. The death eaters could see it on his face, they shot each other dark fearful looks. They were used to this mood, of course. It meant pain.

"Peter. Take your place in the circle." Harry spoke in a hoarse, and cold voice. He marveled at his acting skills, and watched Peter hesitate. "Is there a problem, rat?" He hissed.

The death eaters were watching, so Peter did the only thing he could do. He bowed, "Not at all, my lord." He walked over to an empty spot, and joined the circle.

Now it was time for rhetoric. Harry had a lot of spare time in the summers, and sometimes he had pretended he was some great dark lord. Quite fun, playing make believe. His only form of entertainment in the Dursley household.

"Death Eaters." Harry hissed quietly. The chamber was as silent as death, and his voice had echoed. "You will notice on your left hand, the dark mark is moving. Look at it." The death eaters, grim faced, looked, even though they knew what was there.

Harry simply watched them, and once they were done with the looking, he started to explain. He was making it up as he went along, trusting his luck. That was what kept him alive anyways, and he assumed he had a great deal of luck to survive attacks from the most feared man in the world.

The death eaters grew unnerved by the silence, and they looked at the silver haired right hand of Voldemort, Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy stepped forward, and took a bow. He said in a strong, self assured voice, "My lord. What is the cause of this?"

Harry wondered how they thought he was Voldemort. He was not standing in the shadows, they could see him clearly: A dark figure with a shadow on his face. Harry did not know however, that Dumbledore was the one weaving the illusion and simply watching. He was curious but also ready to take Harry out should things go wrong.

"The cause is not important. But don't get afraid, and start having… reservations about your positions when the mark fades. I am researching things that might have strange effects on my magic. My strength is like a ball, bouncing up and down.

However I need to know what my minions are up to." Harry let out a smile, though the death eaters could not see. "Report to me one by one starting with this end of the circle in my rooms. Petigrew will show you the way." He gave a nod in his direction. "For now, you are dismissed. Talk amongst each other, and… enjoy yourselves."

The death eaters were shocked, and a bit amazed. "Is this some kind of joke?" Some of them wondered aloud when Harry left in a brisk pace.

As soon as Harry left the chamber, he canceled the spell on his face. It was stuffy. His face was white and covered with sweat. All he could think of was, "I ruined it. I messed up. The death eaters are sure to know now and I'm going to be captured and tortured."

He took deep breaths, gathered up his courage and walked to his chambers. He once again cast the nifty shadow spell. It was actually quite a simple charm that he had learned in year 3 but he wondered why he had never used it. He waited for the first death eater to arrive. Maybe he could intimidate them one by one but all of Harry's confidence had left him. He felt weak, like a little kid. Public speaking was definitely not his top ten list of things to do.

Peter led the first death eater in. Harry had banished the bed in the corner and with a simple transfiguration spell he expanded the room. For a brief moment he wondered where he had learnt to do this. It doesn't matter, he said to himself, and conjured two chairs. One was a black armchair with snakes along the armrests, and the other was a simple wooden chair. Harry seemed a bit surprised. How did he do this? He had just waved his hand, and a picture had formed unbidden in his mind. Voldemort's avada kedavra…. He wondered to himself. Looking at the frail and old death eater, he shook himself out of his thoughts and concentrated on his task.

Harry nodded to Peter, "Wait outside." He ordered. Then he turned his attention to the death eater. Peter looked reluctant, but a glare from Harry's direction sent him out. Harry shut the door with a wave of his wand.

The death eater conjured a small table in between them with some tea. He twinkled his eyes. With an amused smile, he took off the mask.

* * *

_AN: Real life got in the way of updating my story but now I think I'll be able to pick it up again. Expect frequent updates:)_

_Please review by the way because I love to hear from my readers.  
_

* * *


End file.
